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A deadly calm exudes from Coselle as Keith explains (with a smile on his face that he simply cannot hold back) that despite all of his careful planning, dessert was forgotten. "How cruel of you to smile when relaying such terrible news," Coselle mock-admonishes her lover in a sing-song voice. "Almost as if you enjoy seeing me with this unfulfilled craving." Despite her high, airy tone, Coselle's laugh issues from deep within her throat. "No dessert? What a pity... Ah, but it is no great matter, right?" Coselle moves to gently slide her hands over Keith's shoulders, as if about to embrace him, when a sudden force springs from her palms mid-motion, using an almost unnatural amount of force for such a petit young woman to push her lover to the blanketed ground, like a tiger springs to pin its prey. She carefully lifts his chin up to expose his neck, kissing the bared flesh with the slightest bit of bite in the aftermath. She laughs like a fallen angel; hellish in intent, yet with every promise of heaven. "You have always been sweet to me, have you not? Look at you... So well-dressed, so put-together... a real gentleman. Yet you taunt me so... leave me wanting." Coselle cackles with lust-induced madness, ripping at his shirt. "I refuse to take much more of your cruelty... perhaps I should teach you a lesson."

***

After Coselle re-adjusts her dress, re-zipping and re-tying all that had become undone, she immediately looks around for her purse, soon finding it tossed to the side of the blanket, presumably in the throes of romance. Pulling out a compact and a small, blue disposable hookah, Coselle looks with some measure of disgust at her disheveled hair in the reflection of the compact as she flips it open. The reflected Coselle's cheeks are flush with deep color, her eyes still glistening as her chest heaves with the deep breathing of recent exertion. Setting the compact down and uncapping the hookah's mouthpiece, she presses down the crown-shaped button and deeply inhales the blueberry-flavored smoke as she rummages for a comb to fix her wild mane, as well as a bit of lipstick to fix her smudged, pale mouth. Exhaling with the satisfaction of relieving her more base cravings, she sets the hookah down just long enough to reapply her lipstick. As she takes another drag, the lipstick forms a little red halo around her hookah's mouthpiece.

Keith, on the other hand, appears to need far more than a comb and a bit of makeup to return to a presentable state; his sides and back display an intricate latticework of scratches, some of which still bleed, and the tatters of his formerly immaculate dress shirt barely cover his wounds. His pants are stained with blood, though they seem to have held together more strongly in the face of the dark-haired woman's onslaught. As Coselle exhales a cloud of blueberry vapor, she gives him the once-over, admiring her handiwork with a sadistic little giggle.

"How do you feel?" She coos, a hint of seduction still lingering in her otherwise caring, gentle tone. She plays with the tatters of his shirt, her expression one of innocence and concern, though the little hellion was not about to fool anyone; of course, she knew this, but then again, perhaps there was some truth in her desire to hear from Keith how he was holding up.

Coselle jokingly admonished Keith for how he so "cruelly" smiled when explaining he forgot dessert. She moved as though she was about to embrace him, and then suddenly pushed him down onto the blanket, with an amount of force nobody could reasonably expect from such a petit young woman. As she kissed his neck, he felt a slight bite, but raised no objections. Indeed, he had no objections to raise, not even as she started to rip at his shirt- he had had a shrewd feeling from the very start that the shirt was not destined to make it to the end of the picnic in one piece, anyway. And he especially did not object to the fact that this time, unlike the last time things had been... ahem... about to get underway here in the Rose Garden, this time there was no Minccino or Furret peeking through the bushes. Last time, they had taken their... shall we say... activities elsewhere due to spying Pokemon. This time, not a soul could see what the two were up to. No witnesses, Keith realized, feeling that inexplicably amazing combination of nervousness and excitement Coselle could always get him to feel...

~~~~~

To look at Keith, one would not be able to describe his current condition without using the phrase "Bouffalant stampede". His shirt, which he had sincerely doubted would make it through the picnic in one piece, was in tatters, not nearly sufficient to cover the scratches all over his sides and back. Some of the scratches were still bleeding, and there were bloodstains adorning his new pants. He looked like a complete wreck, and indeed, the injuries he had sustained felt as painful as they looked.

And yet, he was happy. In spite of the stinging scratches, the multiple wounds, some of which were still bleeding, the whole thing had left him in a state of bliss. The way the happiness and agony blended together was odd, to say the least, and yet, at the same time, so unbelievably satisfying. Still breathing somewhat heavily, he looked over at Coselle, and couldn't help but give a weak smile. As she asked how he felt, he kept smiling, shrugged his shoulders, and replied, "Could be worse." Coselle's innocent expression didn't fool him in the slightest, and in fact it only served to widen his grin. He used some of the tattered remnants of shirt to stem the flow of blood from the few scratches that were still bleeding, and once he was satisfied that he was no longer oozing blood, he used another scrap of shirt fabric to clean himself off as best as he could, then looked at Coselle again. He inched a little closer to her. "The scratches still sting a little... kinda... a lot," he admitted. "Overall, I feel like I got myself on the bad side of a wild Primeape..." As he said this, however, he slowly made to embrace Coselle, holding her close to his relatively unscathed chest. "I feel great," he sighed, unable to stop smiling as he held his beloved in his arms.

Now it begs the question, does the Nose like pancakes?

"Battle? Oh, I love that game!" Fa responds as Sakura expresses her own love for Pokémon battles. "I get very achey afterwards, but it's a lot of fun! I play that tons back at home and Duke has taking me to play with the Pokémon of other Trainers too! Let's see, uh, there was this Gible I fought at some foggy garden and I thought about throwing Ice Beams since Nars doesn't like them too much and then Weedle gave owies and there were ASPLOSIONS and I ended up getting knocked out. Haha. There was this nice Haunter there too. Dropped me in my head like a ragdoll, but I still thought we could share Ice Cream, and Pancakes. Ahh~ And um, there was this Growlithe too I met at a reaaally tall mesa and he wanted to throw me off of it BUT I DIDN'T LET HIM, and I SPITED HIM VENOMOUSLY like sis told me and then I won. It felt good~ But hey, would you like to play with me sometime?"

Meanwhile, Kuranes had asked the Gabite a bit more about his family, clearly perplexed to hear about his whole litter also being born with his own unique coloring, a question with not even Narsil seemed to have an answer for. "Eh, I can't say I see them often, if at all. Don't even remember their faces, now that I think about it... You Kara?"

"I haven't even met mah mama." There was a hint of sadness in the Totodile's voice. "Been raised by Trainers since I was born, and their family have been my own in the other's stead. If I have real brothers and sisters, I'm unaware of them. Some say they got gobbled up by some other croc, or maybe some starving Pidgeotto. I'm sure I'm not the only one around here to have never met their siblings?"

As the topic had shifted back to Kuranes and the situation he was rescued in, Sakura seems to be catching one to what really was taking place ... and concludes the young K could simply one of those perverted masochist types. Who knew he would be into such things?! The Gabite couldn't help cackling out loud at the mental picture. "Aw man, it was like that? I have to introduce you to this pal of mine then. That slick Sceptile never lets on to it in public, but the dude really likes it when they squeeze him tight you know. You could get along~"

"Lords all-mighty, the things I'm listening to right now." Kara sighed while blushing a bit ... or would have, if her scaly skin could actually blush in the first place. "But oh, I'm SO sorry to have intruded then, K, darling! I thought you really needed help!"

In an attempt to divert everyone's attention from the embarrassing topic, Kuranes signals everyone to the battle taking place across the lake. He is able to point out his Trainer being onvolved, but can't really make out who the other woman is.

"Other woman? Don't think I know her either." Nars chimed in, equally puzzled, but grinning with curiosity. "I see Duke is in there too. And Sevipers. Two of them. Wonder who's that one next to Chris?"

*****

Solaire seems completely delighted by the Litwick's gesture as Gwyn casted a shadow in a perfect appraisal of the sun. "Ah, but could it be? That you too are a warrior of the sun? Splendid! Most splendid! Shadows and light, they are like one. Didn't you all know? Why, it is always the most radiant of stars that cast the largest of shadows. In complete and utter darkness, what shadow could possibly be born? Ah, but I talk too much. I am Solaire, the Torch. I bring light where my father cannot, for I am a son of the Sun."

"But Solaire, you miss an important detail." Vega chimed in. "Shadow isn't born of light, but rather born of what stands against it. In a way, we're all between them both. A part of us bathed in light, and against its source, is our shadow born at the other. Light, does not cast shadow. We do. You, who are a source of light, how often do you see your own shadow? Instead, isn't what you see that shadows cast behind those around you, born because of you, but not through you?"

"And so we're back again to our previous argument, Lord Vega. But I cannot accept it, I'm afraid. True darkness is selfish and cold. It only takes, but what does it give? I cannot accept that something born thanks to light to be in any way related to Dark. Shadow and Dark are not the same element. Even the God you profess, despite what you say it represents, I find a source of warmth unlike what you would find in the nothingness of the Abyss. When I see myself on the reflection ... Solaire said as he waddled closer to the edge of the lake. "I see myself, and that self of mine at the other side, I feel to be like myself. A shadow reflection, but how could it ever be related to Dark? Even in that world where spirits roam without the caring gaze of my father, I feel, in a way, they subsist with a light of their own. Who could ever find happiness without their own little sun?"

*****

A battle was still raging on, and while Reese completely focused on the battle at hand, she couldn't help suddenly tilting her head at the sight of the odd Nosepass that suddenly butted in. There was something about that thing that was just unsettling and utterly annoying, and it wasn't just the cheerleader outfit made out of cardboard. Marion takes the time to calmly convince the creature to move elsewhere, though surprisingly keeping enough awareness of the flow of battle to issue orders right on time, and her opponent, of course, wasn't going to slack off any in that department.

Still holding the speed advantage, Dimitri takes the initiative and lets loose with a howling Air Cutter which rips through the Ghost-type fiercely. Bedivere could still take plenty more however, and in return counter fires with yet another Confuse Ray. This time around, the timing was perfect, Dimitri's eyes become swirling stars as he tries to figure out what the hell is going on with the world, life, love, fruit punch and Keanu Reeves. Though he was ordered to stamp a lovely heart on his opponent once again, the Swoobat ends up stamping the floor as he hurts himself in his confusion! Reese facepalms as she clenches her other fist, cursing her horrible luck.

Seizing the moment, Bedivere fires a wave of dark energy, the Dark Pulse easily smacking the sitting duck for solid super-effective damage. Taking Flight once again, Dimitri tries to make a comeback, but he can't help but derp further in his confusion! Well, if he's going to be so kind as to give Bedivere yet another freebie, he might as well take ir, right? The Frillish Dives down before he takes some momentum, coming back up with a rising uppercut to the bat's face. The poor thing, the confusion just wasn't going to ease so easily, was it? And was that a Shoryuken he just heard the Frillish cry out?

Introducing...

Michael, Blue, Meowth, Hermione, Scorpius, Dikune:
"Well, I don't think I could ever earn her respect. Eating her teammates? Jeez, if she's that uncontrolable, I'm sort of worried she might just come back. Hang on, I'm gonna go check the lake."
Michael walked off towards the lake that their intruder had emerged from. As he did, Hermione had set the fire under Mint tea Blue was preparing. The Panpour watched the tea boil. He always made Mint tea when he was stressed, as it relaxed him. The bubbles that formed, the minty smell. It was almost like he was young again. Hermione stated how strong Scorpius was.
"I'm not that capable... but thanks." Blue replied, only half listening. The Flamethrower Scorpius launched got his attention, however.
"How... how strong. I haven't seen such a strong Fire attack before... except that one time. That one time." And with that, Blue slipped into a trance-like state of reminicience. Mist was floating from his head into a nearby bush. Meanwhile, Michael returned to the party.
"No, by the look of things, shes gone." Michael told the others. He then noticed Blues trance. "But I think my little troublemaker has just arrived. Dikune! He wasn't asleep!"
"Yes, but he was lapsing into a daydream, and what is a daydream but rest during the day?"
The Drowzee emerged from the bush, wandered up to Blue and started eating the mist emanating from the monkey.
"Ahh... it is bitter. Memories of families and betrayal, mixed with the pain of his battle. Delicious! Blue, you may wake up now."
Dikune clapped his hands, and the Panpour stopped swaying. He noticed the Tapir standing near him.
"Thanks, Dikune. I'd rather forget those dreams."
The Tapir bowed.
"Yes, yes. Now, I believe that you will not want that dream shared, right? Well, I see you are cooking up a meal, and I would like to join. Will that be fair?"
Both Blue and Michael nodded. It was always easy to agree with Dikune.
Blue started sharing out the Mint tea when Hermione told him it was almost ready.
"Yes, this is done. How much would you all like?" He handed out cups to Dikune and Michael, then offered some to Meowth, Scorpius and Hermione.
As he was, Dikune addressed them.
"I apologise, I haven't introduced myself yet. I am Dikune. Michael adopted me recently so I am fairly new to this area. You need not introduce yourselves, I have learnt what happened here from Blue's dream. I take it I am allowed a share of this steak?" Dikunes voice was heavy as he layered it with Hypnosis. He then filled his cup to the brim with Blue's mint tea, as did Michael and Blue.

Michael, Blue, Meowth, Hermione, Scorpius, Dikune: "Wat da..." Meowth muttered as Blue went into kind of a trance. Then, as Michael came back and scolded someone named Dikune, it became clear- Dikune, as it turned out, was Michael's Drowzee, and had used Hypnosis on Blue in order to eat his daydream. Dikune then introduced himself to Meowth and Hermione, and then asked if he was allowed some of the steak. Meowth, however, averted his gaze- he too knew Hypnosis, and recognized when someone else was trying to pull it of.

"Yeah, youse is allowed in on da steaks," Meowth replied, still avoiding eye contact with the Drowzee. "And youse ain't gotta try yer Hypnosis in order ta get stuff from others, by da way," he added, a hint of irritation to his voice.

Its Poketime!

While one half of Blaze's team was at the Bar in the a different realm of the Fizzy Bubbles universe, the other half was at the Fizzytopian Park and Gardens, a place of fun and Pokemon. In fact, no trainers were allowed, so it was a chance for some fun without the constant supervision of their trainers...and of course the chance to make all sorts of mischief without
them knowing.

Lemon Drop, Surgei, Farseer, Static Shock, Daisy, Millennium

In came in five Pokemon of Blaze's. The first pair was a Lopunny and a Yanmega, the Lopunny happily spinning and jumping, while the Yanmega quietly followed her along. The Lopunny stopped and brought out a Pokeball, opening it to reveal a Goldeen that happily splashed in a nearby pond.

Ooh wonderful darling. Being cooped up inside of that Pokeball, is absolutely terrible for my scales.

No problem Daisy!

Behind the Lopunny and Yanmega were another pair who were talking furiously about something. Not furiously like they were arguing, but furiously like this was something very important and had to be discussed this very minute.

I do see your problem. Your species as a whole is prone to being overactive and annoying, and that is something that you really want to change inside of yourself. I might be able to help you there.

Well, how are you going to do that? It would be great for me to know.

Well, we Alomomola have a technique that we use to Calm our Minds down so that the troubles of the world don't faze us.

Alright, I would like to learn that myself.

In behind those two were a single loner Pokemon, who simply rolled along the ground. This Pokemon was a Ferroseed called Millennium, because it was once said that it would take nearly a millennium for him to speak a single word. It wasn't that he was mute, it was just that he did not talk at all. Not a single word. He wasn't unapproachable by any means, and he seemed friendly...it is just he didn't have much to say.

Michael, Blue, Meowth, Hermione, Scorpius, Dikune:
Dikune was taken aback by Meowth's comment.
"Hypnosis? Ah... I apologize, it seems I do not know yet how to control my attacks." He muttered.
'Hmm... he knew what I was doing? This Meowth is clever. I see I have taken this the wrong way. An ally as knowledgeable as him will be a necessity. Time to change my persona.'
"Well, I am honored to join in this feast! Please, tell me who the chef is? These steaks seem cooked to perfection."
Michael rubbed his Drowzee on the head.
"My little troublemaker. Doesn't know his own strengths. Now, how's the steak going Hermione?"
"Hermione? This young little Weedle cooked the steak? Such an intelligent girl you must be! You all seem so strong, I apologize for my rudeness earlier."
Blue was mad, however. He pulled Drowzee over to one side.
"Dikune, what are you doing? That wasn't an accident, you were purposely trying to control them!"
"I wasn't attacking him, Blue. You accuse your own teammate of such a foul misdeed?"
The monkey found it hard to stay mad.
"Listen. This isn't a joke. I know what you are trying to do here. I can see right through you."
"Really, Blue? And what would that be? I merely am trying to be friendly. You wouldn't want to cause an argument now would you?"
Dikune wasn't being subtle now. The hypnosis was obvious. Blue couldn't resist it.
"No... no i'm not."
"Good, good. Now, let us return to our... friends."
The monkey and tapir rejoined the group and immediately returned to the tea.
"Oh, how rude of us, we haven't served you your tea yet. How much would you like?" The tapir offered the pot to Meowth, Hermione and Scorpius.

Michael, Blue, Meowth, Hermione, Scorpius, Dikune: Dikune apologized to Meowth, claiming to not yet have complete control over his attacks. As he learned that Hermione had cooked the steaks, he appeared to be very impressed, and apologized for his earlier rudeness. As Blue pulled the Drowzee aside, however, Meowth, Scorpius, and Hermione had a brief, whispered conversation.

"Doesn't know yet how to control his attacks, my tail stinger," Hermione whispered. "One time when Keith took me to the library, I read all about Drowzee and Hypno. They have complete control over their hypnotic capabilities from the moment they're born."

"Now I'm actually pretty glad Ginny gave us all that lecture on how to recognize use of Hypnosis," added Scorpius. "I'm not so sure I trust this guy."

"Yeah, I get wat ya mean," Meowth nodded. Just then, Blue and Dikune returned, the former looking slightly dazed. Hermione and Meowth both knew instantly that he had been placed under the effects of Hypnosis, and both became much more wary of the Drowzee as he offered the pot of tea to them all. They regarded him warily, though agreed to take some tea.

Michael, Blue, Meowth, Hermione, Scorpius, Dikune:
"Well, now that the drinks are served, how about getting to the steaks?"
Michael had finally rejoined the party from his brief trip into his thoughts, and hadn't noticed either conversation that had taken place.
"Yes, that is an excellent idea, Sir." Dikune added. He poured the tea out for the party, but as he did, he noted the wary looks that were given to him. 'Well well. They still don't trust me? This will not do! Time for plan B.'
Blue shook off his stupor in time to see Dikune excuse himself, "Just so I can look around this wonderful garden." The Panpour didn't know why, but he felt a sense of unease at this.
"So you're just going to let a young, untrustworthy Pokemon wander off by himself, Michael?"
"Yeah, he wants to explore, and what sort of fun loving trainer would I be if I stopped an exploration? A boring trainer, that's who! Don't worry. He'll be back, he left his food here. And I'm sure he can look after himself."
The Panpour had to resist the urge to scratch his oblivious trainer into oblivion. 'He is so irresponsible! I know there's something up with Dikune.' He struggled to remember why he felt this way. He couldn't talk to Michael about his worry, the boy just wouldn't understand. He turned to the other pokemon.
"Ok, guys, I know this isn't something I shouldn't need to ask you because technically you shouldn't need to do this. But could you help me keep an eye on Dikune? For some reason I can't seem to confront him alone..."

"Oh, geez," muttered Meowth. "If it's dat blasted Basculin again-" however, it then became clear that it was not "dat blasted Basculin" this time, but was in fact a Squirtle. The Water-type moved onto land and walked towards the group, smiling happily.

Blue, Meowth, Hermione, Scorpius, Dikune, Chance:
If the power of a faceplant could be measured, Blues one to Hermiones comment on eye contact would exceed that of a rampaging Tauros.
"Eye Contact. You are kidding right? My eyes are closed 99.99% of the time! Either I'm just easily persuaded, like some sort of Idiot, or Dikune is stronger than he looks..."
Blue was interrupted by Scorpius suddenly pointing at the lake.
"If it's dat blasted Basculin again-" Meowth started.
Blue started to charge up an Icy Wind, but stopped when they all realised they weren't about to get ravaged by an insane Basculin, but instead greeted by a friendly looking Squirtle. Meowth introduced her as Chance, his trainers Squirtle.
"Nice to meet you too!" Blue shook Chances hand.
"Sorry about almost attacking you, we had an 'Incident' with our food that involved Pisces, and I'm sort of on edge now my trainers Drowzee has wandered off. He isn't that trustworthy, honestly."
Blue climbed a nearby tree. Looking around, he spotted Dikune wandering to a nearby field.
"Ok, he seems to be going that way. If we hurry, we can stop Dikune doing anything Bad."
Blue motioned for the group to follow him, and set off for the nearby field.

"Yes, my trainer set up a picnic somewhere nearby. If anything, most of my teammates are pessimistic, so free negative emotions, heh." Neville responded, glancing somewhat to where he had came from. "So, onwards then?" He asked to make sure she really wanted to meet the chaotic members of his team. He could only imagine how she would fare with them, as even he sometimes wanted to smack them.

Myrtle, Neville, Spirit: Myrtle smiled as Neville stated that his trainer had set up a picnic nearby, and that most of his teammates were pessimistic, which meant free negative emotions for the Shuppet to feast upon. "That sounds de-light-ful," Myrtle replied. As Neville asked if they should go onwards, Myrtle nodded. "Lead the way," she replied.

OOC: Major apologies to swampertforever, I don't know how replying to this continued to slip my mind...

Meowth, Hermione, Scorpius, Chance, Dikune: "Oh, it's OK," Chance smiled. "I've met Pisces before, and she's not very nice, so I can understand that." Then, Blue climbed a nearby tree and indicated the direction in which Dikune was going. He motioned for the group to follow as he set off.

"C'mon, let's move," Meowth said to Scorpius, Hermione, and Chance.

"I got this," Chance stated as her eyes glowed blue, and the Confusion attack she was using lifted Meowth, Scorpius, and Hermione into the air. Then, the Squirtle made to Withdraw into her shell, and started to roll rapidly after Blue, with her three teammates being psychically tugged along in midair.

OOC: Don't worry. Its taking me ages to plan out these posts. Maybe because they're gonna be Walls of Text for the next two posts. Sorry!Blue, Meowth, Hermione, Scorpius, Dikune, Chance:

Blue had just reached the field when he noticed Chance rolling along, carrying her teammates psychically.

"Was that Confusion? I never knew Squirtles could learn that. But I'm getting distracted. Time to stop Dikune doing... nothing?"

The monkey was puzzled. In the distance, Dikune was just sitting there, watching everyone else in the park. Blue swore he heard sobbing coming from the tapir as well.

"Huh... this is weird. One second."

Blue took a few steps towards the Drowzee.

"Diku-ack!" The Panpour only got two syllables out before he was outlined in a blue aura. He tried to move, but he found, to his horror, that he couldn't. Dikune walked over to the Panpour, eyes glowing blue because of the Disable he had used on the group.

"So I can't go anywhere now without you following me? What, you think I was going off to Hypnotize someone else?"

The tapir was furious. All he was doing was meditating, but he still was the evil one!

"You're just like everyone else, you are! I thought maybe, if I let you all calm down, I could come back and make a better first impression. But noooooo, a Drowzee on his own is obviously off to go hurt someone!"

"Really? Well, look at it from my point of view. Whenever I so much as dare to walk up to someone, they recoil away like I'm some sort of monster! I just use hypnosis to stop people from leaving me. Is that so much to ask?"

The Tapirs voice deepened, and he started to Hypnotise Blue. The monkey tried to turn away, but the Disable had locked him still. He was stuck, falling asleep.

"You say you're my friend, but you betray me like this? Fine. What you have done to me emotionally, I shall do to you. You will learn how it feels to have your dreams eaten by others.

Dikune started inhaling. Blue started to convulse, a red aura drifted from his body into Dikunes nose. The tapir spoke to the other pokemon as he ate from Blues dream.

"I have no qualms with you. You don't know me, and you aren't obliged to trust me. But do you see now why you shouldn't just stereotype me like you would other Drowzee? All I wanted was to befriend you, but he is here, mistrusting as usual, trying to force me away. All I ask now, is whether we could be associates, if friendship is too much for you?"

Hermione nodded. "I never even considered the possibility that there was a good reason for his use of Hypnosis," she admitted, her head hung low. "I generally try to not jump to conclusions so quickly..."

"I guess we were all too quick to judge you, Dikune," Scorpius said to the Drowzee. "Sorry about that."

"Yeah, we'd be glad to be your friends," smiled Chance as she walked over and offered a handshake to the Drowzee. Meowth, Scorpius, and Hermione all nodded in agreement.

Blue, Meowth, Hermione, Scorpius, Dikune, Chance:
Dikune shook Chance's hand. As he did, his Disable hold over the group, and most importantly Blue, fell. He had friends! Actual friends! The tapir was ecstatic, but he hid it under his usual smirk.

"Thanks for forgiving me. I know I haven't had the best of introductions, but you realize now what I have had to put up with."

He offered a hand to the fallen Blue, who hesitated before taking it. With the Drowzee's support, Blue stood up shaking. It was then that Dikune realized what he had done.

"Blue, I'm sorry. I only attacked you because that was what I was taught in the Adoption Center by the other Pokemon. It's hard to live in a place where most of the inhabitants fear you, so I had to force their respect from them." The tapir hung his head, ashamed.

"You know, I used to be friends with some of them. With my knowledge in the arts of dreams, I helped them when they had issues, they protected me from the bullies... It was a good life. Then I ruined it. I learned of a secret of one of the bullies, and blackmailed him. From there, I forced knowledge from everyone... I lied and extorted, and I was on top. I thought that was where I was happiest... I did, until now."

Blue was shocked at Dikune's sudden outburst. The tapir turned to address him personally.

"I realize now that if I want to break the stereotype that us Drowzee are befouled with, I shouldn't act like them, I shall forge my own path. If anyone needs help, I shall be there. I've heard of this thing called hypnotherapy and it sounds right up my street. Blue, I've seen yours and Michael's dreams, and I offer my first act of therapy to you two."

"But I don't need-"

"I know, that's what they all say. But I already know the images, lets just put words to it."

Blue, Meowth, Hermione, Scorpius, Dikune, Chance:
Blue gazed around the field. There didn't seem like anything to do here, Something he brought up to Dikune.
"Where would we go? Neither of us know where anything is."
Dikune's eyes twinkled, which could be viewed as a good thing or a bad thing depending on the circumstances.
"Well, us Drowzee, if trained, have this ability to enter other peoples dreams. We could take a trip around someones subconscious!"
Blue was horrified at the thought.
"How could we invade someones privacy like that?"
Drowzee pulled out a Pasiv dream machine from somewhere.
"We need to go deeper."
"What?"
"What?"
Dikune tapped Blues head while he said this, for some reason he was empty handed.
"Anyway, If you are so against this, we could enter your mind. That way, we aren't invading a strangers privacy"
"But you're perfectly fine with advertising mine. That's perfectly fine." Blue muttered, rolling his eyes.
"BRILLIANT! So guys," Dikune said to the group, "Who wants to reject reality for a while and venture into the unknown that is Blue's mind?"

Meowth, Hermione, Scorpius, Chance, Dikune, Blue: Dikune voiced the idea of entering someone's dream, which Blue was not too thrilled about. Dikune then asked the group if they wanted to go into Blue's mind.

"Well," Hermione spoke up, "I'd really only be comfortable with it if Blue was OK with it... having said that, I must admit, the idea of actually entering someone's dream, it's... it's a fascinating thought," she added with interest. "It's not a common thing to experience, after all, and I'd love to learn what it's like to do so."

Blue, Meowth, Hermione, Scorpius, Dikune, Chance:
Blue struggled to keep his resolve up, but hearing the enthusiasm of everyone made him change his mind.
"Fine, I relent. I don't mind you taking a scenic tour of my dreams." The monkey said, half bitterly, half curiously.
"Good, good. Now Blue, just remember, this is your dream. You can control what happens, and if at any time you feel uncomfortable just say the word and i'll wake you up. Now, back to sleep with you."
With those words, Blue drifted back to sleep. He only half heard Dikunes next words.
"Right, well. This is my first try doing this, so I don't know what'll happen. All I know is that you will all be asleep, but in Blues dream instead of your own. Now, when the aura reaches you, I'd like you to sleep."
Dikune closed his eyes and began to concentrate. A strange aura encompassed the Drowzee, which he let surround everyone. It was going well! Dikune blacked out, and fell to the floor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dikune sat up. To say the group weren't in the gardens anymore was a bit of an understatement. They had ended up in a mysterious forest, stretching as far as the Drowzee could imagine. A shimmering river flowed through the middle of the trees nearby, supplying a serene rippling sound that contrasted the eerie silence of the area. The tapir tried to walk to the river, but it seemed to move away as he approached it.
'This... isn't real. It worked. IT WORKED!'
Dikunes inner monologue reeked of pride. He had used an advanced drowzee technique, and it had worked on his first try! And here he was, inside... the... dream. Oh dear, that wasn't good. He wasn't supposed to be here! He was meant to be awake, the channel that kept the party anchored to reality! How were they meant to escape the dream? The tapir shook his head.
'No. I won't let this set me back! I'll just pretend this was meant to happen. It'll give me a chance to get to know Blue more.'
Something caught Dikune's eye, and that was the colossal Oak tree that had suddenly appeared. The tree dominated the landscape. It seemed different to the woods surrounding it. The tree seemed alive, with bursts of colour streaming up and down its bark, but closer inspection showed that the mighty oak was the home of a bustling colony of Elemental monkeys. How had he not noticed this as he woke up? They were right next to it!
"So, you're in." A familiar voice called out from the top of the oak tree. Dikune watched as a platform lowered from the top of the tree. A figure leapt down from the platform as it descended and landed right at Dikunes feet.
"Enjoying your tour of my mind?" The figure stood, revealing itself to be a Simipour. The monkey had wierd markings covering his body, painting a picture of power and dominance that would be expected from a leader. He was a sight for sore eyes, however the monkeys biting comment triggered a thought in the back of Dikunes mind. An impossible thought, nonetheless, but it had to be voiced.
"Blue? Is that you? You've evolved!"
"No, I haven't. We're in my dream remember? I can be whatever I want, and I am a mighty Simipour, alpha male of the elemental clans!"
With that, Blue let loose a primal bellow, which echoed ominously through the vast woodland. In response, the monkeys of the tree cried back, with little enthusiasm. The cold response was lost on Blue, as he clambered back onto the platform, beckoning the group to him in a way that commanded obedience.
"Well theres no point being shy. Let me show you around!"

I am a shadow. The true self.

Nagini, Vega, Fa, Narsil, Kara, Bedivere, Spinel, Kuranes, Sakura/Sumika, Gwyn, Seshiro, Shisato, Mr. Nose - Fa eagerly relates her stories regarding the game of battle to Sakura, with her typical cheery demeanor, even when relating such horrors as being nearly thrown off a cliff or dropped on her head. Sakura listens intently, though she seems rather shocked at how sunny Fa's disposition is, even when relating bitter defeat. Sakura could not even imagine keeping up such a happy tone if she were made to discuss any defeat she might suffer in battle... In an odd way, Fa deserved a great deal of respect for her ability to take the loss in stride, even if that ability was due in part to her naivete. Even so, at the mention of her "big sis" giving her battle pointers, something in Sakura's mind becomes... oddly uneasy. The shell around her vibrates with the energy of deep thought, as if a plan was hatching in its ghostly conscience, separate from Sakura's thoughts.

Sakura nods her head resolutely in response to Fa's question of whether or not she would like to "play" with her sometime. "It would be an honor to battle with you," Sakura says as cheerfully as possible, though her eyes flicker with a sudden bit of distress. "Though, to be honest, I would... er, I would prefer we battle after I shed my shell. Sumika is saying some pretty nasty- OW, Sumika, quit it! Quit yelling! She's not the one we have a problem with. There's no need to- STOP IT!" Sakura lowers herself to the ground, her claws draping over her head as if to cradle it from a massive headache. Sakura's eyes turn deadly pale, as an odd, hollow voice echoes from her body;

Sister of the evil one. If Sakura will not heed my call for your blood, then I will draw it from you myself-

"STOPITSTOPITSTOPIT" Sakura cries out in pain and as she straightens herself out, shaking her head violently before giving Fa a completely horrified look. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... Sumika, she... she doesn't understand... Please, forgive me..."

***

K listens with a soft, sympathetic gaze towards Nars and Kara as they relate the fact that neither has seen their parents or siblings in a very long time, if at all. He tries to give them both a reassuring smile. "Well, I hope you do get to meet your family again someday, somehow," K responds optimistically. "I know my friend Aislyn told me once that she has not seen her family since she became Marion's Pokemon, and she misses them a lot. Ever since passage to Kumo City closed, it's been near impossible to track them down..." The Eevee's ears droop a bit at this admission. "I think it affects her more than she lets on."

As the topic shifts to K's dramatic rescue, the friendly Eevee finds himself blushing with embarrassment at Sakura and Kara's misunderstanding. At first, he opens his mouth to protest, but realizing that the assumption would at least keep Bedivere out of trouble, he ultimately sighs and hangs his head.

"Don't worry about it, Kara," he finally says, blushing under his fur. "I guess I did get in over my head a bit, so it's good that you came anyway."

Thankfully for K, the battle across the river diverts everyone's attention, as they try to discern who Marion's combatant might be... Though Kuranes is distracted by the rock-like form waddling towards them from afar. He squints a bit, and grins in recognition. "Oh, is that who I think is?"

Sakura squints off in the distance, unable to see very well. "What? I think I see a blur or something coming this way..."

Gwyn seems pleased at Solaire's jovial speech; the silent candle had a real talent for listening, and Solaire certainly seemed to enjoy speaking, particularly about his beloved sun. Though Gwyn seems intent upon reassuring Solaire that he does not mind at all that the Larvesta has a lot to say, Vega chimes in to present an alternate viewpoint to Solaire's conceptualization of the relationship between light, shadow and darkness. Rather than believing, as Solaire did, that darkness and shadow were of two different elements given that darkness cannot exist where there is light, Vega argues that shadow is born from standing against the light, rather than from light itself. Gwyn listens to both sides thoughtfully as they carefully word their arguments, the mute creature nodding along with both as he processes their philosophies.

The young Litwick plays with the shadow against his flame, as meaningless shapes form and reform, though Gwyn has a difficult time figuring out how to phrase his thoughts. Without the use of words, it was difficult to explain his own views on the subject... The poor Litwick purses his lips and curls his stubby arms to his body in a frustrated stance, irritated with his inability to eloquently express his opinion. Taking a deep breath, and hoping for the patience of his two conversation partners, he delves deep into his own mind, focusing intently. If the solution would not occur to him from the outside, perhaps he would find it within. His flame flares up with great power and intensity, as purple light bursts forth from his body. From that light, Gwyn's shadow is cast long into the lake... As Gwyn focuses with great intensity on the thoughts that have formed in his mind, the shadow of the Litwick begins to rise, as if lifted from the ground. Defying all logic, the shadowy form takes on a third dimension, and exists within the light as a perfect double of Gwyn. From the light, a perfect shadow. Shadow Gwyn appears to wave happily at the two debating Pokemon, indicating the shadow's friendly nature.

Gwyn opens his eyes, and admires his handiwork. He then pretends to reach into himself, and pull out a shadow heart- blacker than any shadow he has ever cast before, to represent darkness - and shows it to the pair, in an attempt to explain a very simple line of thought. Highly abstract, and perhaps not a perfect communication, but it was the best he could think of. Shadow Gwyn, following up on this illustration, reaches into himself and produces nothing... perhaps to suggest that true darkness does not exist within the shadows, but within ourselves.

The shadow Gwyn turns to the Litwick, and though the shadow (given its nature) has no expression, the aura radiating from it is playful and mysterious, much like the one who cast it. The shadow begins to shift and change, becoming larger, with long appendages and a swollen head- Gwyn watches the shadow shift against the light, transforming from the three-dimensional silhouette of a Litwick... to that of a Lampent. The Lampent shadow bows respectfully to Gwyn before a sudden burst of light surrounding the Litwick's body drowns the shadow out. Following the shadow's lead, Gwyn's own body begins to become a mass of shifting light, changing into the same form that the shadow had taken just moments before. As the light gradually fades, the former Litwick appears to Solaire and Vega in his brand new form, now having evolved into an excited-looking Lampent. Admiring his new, long arms and twirling about with glee, Gwyn immediately makes his way over to the lake to examine himself.

Congratulations! Your GWYN has evolved into LAMPENT!

Marion, Reese, Balmund, Dimitri, Bedivere - For a sweet little Frillish, Bedivere was proving to be surprisingly deadly on the battlefield. Ever smiling, even through the execution of vicious attacks and the pain mighty blows, the eccentric jellyfish Pokemon practically dances across the field with a deadly sort of grace. Marion herself could not believe the latent talent that Bedivere seemed to have for battle, and though she tries to appear confident, as if she knew all along that Bedivere was a capable fighter, her eyes betray her pleasant surprise. After all, who could have guessed that a gentleman who spent much of his time cooking and drinking tea would have such potential?

"Bedivere, strike while your opponent is still weak! Unleash the power of your Blizzard, then follow it up with Bubblebeam! End the round with the force of a Waterfall! You can do it!"

Marion's fists clench with excitement as the battle continues to unfold, her body leaning into the battle as if she was inches away from duking it out herself. It was hard not to be caught up in the excitement of Dimitri and Bedivere's intense exchange of blows, particularly when Bedivere was showing such promise...

NOTE: Following her evolution, Chance is to be treated as though she was a Wartortle all along in this storyline. Thank you for your understanding.

Blue, Meowth, Hermione, Scorpius, Dikune, Chance, Vernon: Dikune had done it. He had managed to transport himself, Meowth, Hermione, Scorpius, and Chance into the Panpour's dream. Then, Blue approached them, albeit in the form of a Simipour. He beckoned them to follow him, at which point Meowth produced a Poké Ball from seemingly nowhere.

"Borrowed dis from Keith," he explained as he pressed the button to bring the sphere to full size.

"Does he know this?" asked Hermione.

"Yes, as a matter o' fact, he does," Meowth snapped. "I'm tinkin' instead o' takin' da tour on foot, we could all hitch a ride instead." And he threw the ball. "Go! Vernon!" Meowth shouted as a Tauros materialized from the ball. The Wild Bull Pokémon glanced around before looking down at Meowth.

The Tauros stomped and snorted. "Of course!" he exclaimed. "I got the power to carry all of you, what use is that power if I don't put it to use? Get on, everyone!"

The Wartortle went first, making an impressive jump up and landing right on the Tauros's back. Then, she used her Confusion attack to lift Dikune, Meowth, Hermione, and Scorpius onto Vernon's back. On Meowth's instructions, Vernon started to walk in the direction Blue had went.

Nagini, Vega, Fa, Narsil, Kara, Bedivere, Spinel, Kuranes, Sakura/Sumika, Gwyn, Seshiro, Shisato, Mr. Nose: Nagini listened silently to the various points of view, not entirely sure what to think on the subject herself. Then, she watched as Gwyn created a shadow of himself- a three-dimensional shadow! The Arbok looked visibly impressed at this, and made an effort to understand what the Litwick was trying to convey. After the Litwick shadow failed to pull anything out of its own body, Nagini tilted her head slightly. "So... are you trying to say that darkness does not exist within shadows, but within ourselves?" she asked. She wasn't certain that that was what Gwyn was trying to convey, but it did seem to make sense, somewhat. At that point, however, the shadow changed its shape, and now looked like the shadow of a Lampent. Nagini had a shrewd suspicion of what was about to happen a second before just that happened- Gwyn began to evolve. Once the glow faded, there floated Gwyn, now a Lampent himself. "Congratulations, Gwyn," smiled Nagini before the newly evolved Lampent floated over to the lake to admire his reflection. Then, she turned to face Vega and Solaire. "To be honest, after hearing what the both of you have to say on the matter of light and shadow, and after taking a guess at what Gwyn was trying to tell us... I am not sure exactly what I believe," the female Arbok admitted. "The relationship between light and shadow is not one I have ever given much thought to."

Bollocks to it, I'll give this a go too. Seems to be faster than the AR, that's for sure.

Keen ears would be able to make out some faint mutterings by the park entrance, almost like someone reading not-quite aloud to themselves as they scanned the information sign just outside. "Fizzytopian Park and Gardens... beautiful gardens... statues... fountains... Mystic Lake... huh? Lake? Sounds like fun!"

His attention piqued, the owner of the voice stuck his head through the gateway, looking around. The place did look rather nice, with several trainers and their Pokémon socialising amidst various points. Now owning a few Pokémon, Dave figured that he should probably give them some time to relax before they set off on a journey. He'd only taken a few steps through the gate before his focus was drawn by a beautiful display, two vibrant butterflies dancing around each other from a flowerbed over toward him. The fisherman stood transfixed as the insects drew closer, forgetting one important detail...

Suddenly, as they drew to within a few feet, he felt something on his head shift. Too late, he remembered that one fact as a pair of huge orange jaws engulfed the smaller bugs, swallowing them in one go. Dave facepalmed hard as the Trapinch withdrew back under his hat, digesting his latest meal. "Nice. Real classy there, Rincewind." he sighed, receiving a "Burrrrrp!" in response from the ant-lion. Reaching up, the trainer removed his cap with one hand whilst scooping the Ground-type onto his shoulder, deftly avoiding the snapping jaws. "Right, if you're going to ride up top you're going to be on view. No ambushing." he scolded, the larva's beady eyes locked with his. Even though Rincewind's mouthparts were almost the size of his entire head, Dave wasn't bothered. While the Trapinch was constantly hungry, he was also a bit of a coward. He needed discipline.

And that's what he'd get, a click signalling an enlarging Pokéball. "Fred, you keep order." Dave muttered as the orb split, a burst of light coalescing into the form of an orange tortoise. The Torkoal greeted the outside word with a sneeze, a burst of smoke escaping his nostrils and carapace vent to drift away in the wind, looking around and opening his sleepy eyes, glancing up at his new trainer and the troublesome Trapinch. "Hey buddy, we're here to relax, nothing too stressful. I just need you to watch Rincewind before he decimates the local ecosystem." the fisherman stated, the Fire-type nodding before locking gazes with Rincewind. The stare lasted a while before the cowardly ant-lion looked away, snapping his jaws in frustration. Smirking, Fred turned forward, looking around the park. "Let's head to the lake. We can let the others out there, and see who we meet along the way." The chelonian nodded, keeping (a slow) pace with his trainer as they set off, whilst Rincewind looked around from his vantage point for any possible meals.

Feel like a different style of battling? Where your Charizard isn't useless
because your opponent has Stealth Rock up? Why not check out the:

Pokémon Animé Style Battling League!

ASB has it's own subforum where you can can start with a basic squad of whatever
first-stage Pokémon you want, and work your way up! Not sure how to begin?
We have a Getting Started thread that covers the basics, plus you can ask for help in our Time Out Chat Thread.

I believe introductions are in order.

Blue, Meowth, Hermione, Scorpius, Dikune, Chance, Vernon:
Dikune never thought he'd be surprised three times in succession, but of course, in a dream, one cannot anticipate anything. So when Meowth managed to pull out a TAUROS from out of nowhere, Dikune rightly fell to the ground, shocked. He tried to stand back up, but a weird pain in his head prevented him from moving. Luckily for him, Chance had pulled him onto 'Vernon' with a Confusion before he could hurt himself. As the bull rode along, Dikune took some time to gather his thoughts.
'Well, everyone else seems to be taking advantage of this Dream... maybe I could too.' The tapir yelled forwards to the waiting Simipour.

"Hey Blue, don't think of a notepad and pen in my hand!"

"What?" Of course, thinking about what Dikune said had caused a set of writing implements to materialize in the Tapirs hands. Snickering slightly to himself, the Tapir started to note down his findings.

'Well, we are in the dream, and so far nothing major has gone wrong apart from myself being here too. Blue seems to dream of himself being stronger than he is, having met us in the form of a Simipour. I don't know why, but maybe a quick look around will unearth this mystery.'
The tapir took a couple of seconds to look up, pondering what to write next. In these few seconds, the location of Blue was in sight, and oh boy, was it a sight. In the branches of the Oak tree was an elaborate hut, painted with strange symbols branching out in every direction he could see. Within the hut Blue sat motionless upon a throne clearly too big for him, staring transfixed at something at his feet that the Tapir couldn't make out from his angle.

"Well, I believe we should go find out what is going on here. Allow me."

With that, Dikune used his own Confusion attack to raise the group of Pokemon (wincing as he targeted Vernon) into the hut alongside Blue. And immediately wished he hadn't as he discovered what Blue was actually looking at. At the monkeys feet lay an old Simisear, bruised and battered and struggling to stand. Dikune ran forward to aid the injured Pokemon, but found himself being stopped by a Leer that Blue threw at him. Undeterred, the tapir spoke.

"Blue? What's happening?"

"Oh... this little thing? Oh, it's nothing." Blue said with no emotion what so ever. The Simipour looked at the other monkey with what only could be described as loathing, and with almost no provocation launched an Aqua Tail into the head of the Simisear, smashing him into the nearby wall. Ignoring the look of utter incredulousity Dikune gave him, Blue continued to deadpan,

"Guys, I'd like to introduce you to a no-good, selfish, self centered man. Say hello to my Father."

Dikune was shocked for the fourth time that day.

Michael, Dave, Rincewind, Fred, ???:
While his current Pokemon were having the time of their life within a dream, Michael was busy doing his usual thing; spacing out while wandering around aimlessly. He was supposed to be obtaining a Grass type from a veteran trainer today, but of course he had completely forgotten about it. So when a female Paras suddenly jumped out from one of his pokeballs and run off, he never paid much heed until he'd wandered back to the entrance of the Park.

'Wait. Paras is a grass type. That was my Paras! Oh god, I haven't named her yet!'

With that, the teen turned tables and ran back into the Park, almost knocking over a fisherman in the process.

"Oh, sorry sir, I'm Michael, a new guy here. Are you going to the lake? If you are be careful of this Basculin there. Her names Pisces and she is a mean little girl. Have you seen a Paras around here? She's my newest pokemon and I lost her and as I haven't named her yet I don't know what to call out and... ooh you have Pokemon I've never seen! Pokedex time!"
Michael enthusiastically scanned the two surprisingly not fish pokemon the fisherman owned. Trapinch, the Ant Pit Pokemon: It makes a conical pit in desert sand and lies in wait at the bottom for prey to come tumbling down. Torkoal, the Coal Pokemon: It burns coal inside its shell for energy. It blows out black soot if it is endangered.

"Wait, was I doing something? Oh yeah, Sir, could you help me find my Paras? She's lost and friendless and nameless..."